The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The organisation was founded in 1888 and seven-time Wimbledon champion William Renshaw was elected as its first president.The purpose of LTA is to promote the sport "from grassroots participation through to the professional game", based on the fundamental belief that tennis can provide "physical, social and mental rewards both on and off the court". The main LTA training facility is the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Roehampton, southwest London, which opened in 2007. The Duchess of Cambridge has been patron of LTA since 2017.
BackgroundWith the rapid growth of women's elite sport, there is an increasing need to optimise healthcare for female athletes. These athletes can present unique clinical challenges, including high physical demands, altered energy availability, increased rates of pelvic floor dysfunction, and sport-related psychological pressures. Gynaecological surgery may significantly disrupt training and competition schedules, impacting both short- and long-term performance.ObjectivesThis narrative review provides a practical, evidence-based framework to support clinicians in delivering tailored peri-operative care for female athletes undergoing gynaecological surgery.Key findingsDrawing from current literature and multidisciplinary expertise, the review outlines key considerations across the pre-, intra-, and post-operative phases. It emphasises the importance of pre-operative assessment of menstrual health, bone density, nutritional status, and psychological readiness, particularly in athletes at risk of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). Intra-operatively, surgical techniques should account for anatomical variations in lean athletes, and measures should be taken to minimise complications such as neuropathy, wound breakdown and delayed recovery. Post-operative rehabilitation requires a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach integrating physiotherapy, nutrition, pain management, and psychological support to facilitate a safe and timely return to sport.ConclusionsThis review highlights the need for athlete-specific surgical strategies that align with the physiological and performance demands of elite sport. Future studies are essential to inform sport-specific guidelines and optimise outcomes for this understudied population.
There is limited understanding about players perceptions and physical demands of wheelchair tennis grass play. This study conducted a quantitative pilot study exploring wheelchair configurations, court hardnesses, and potential court damage. Insights informed the primary qualitative investigation into player perceptions and best practice for wheelchair tennis on grass. Performance data were collected from six players during three tests using different configurations on grass, with hardness values between 197-233Gmax. Sixteen semi-structured interviews with players and support staff offered insights about wheelchair tennis grass play. Qualitative interview findings revealed two themes: navigating performance and de-mystifying wheelchair tennis. On-court findings indicated thicker castors and tyres resulted in reduced rolling resistances (− 8
The assessment of total energy expenditure (TEE) is imperative to ensure appropriate fuelling during competition and training, although the current lack of TEE research in para sport make the prescription of nutritional strategies challenging. This study aimed to assess TEE of an elite wheelchair tennis (WT) player during training and competition of the highest level. One male WT player (age 23.6 years; career high World No. 1; body mass 65.7 kg; VO 2 max, 45.3 ml.kg −1 .min −1 ) participated. Prior to the assessment, VO 2 max and maximum heart rate, resting metabolic rate, 10 m sprint speed and upper body skinfold measurements were made. Doubly labelled water assessed TEE during a 19-day period which included the Wimbledon Championships (5 days-3 matches), training (8 days) and the British Open (BO) (6 days-7 matches). Throughout data collection, the participant continued their usual training and preparation. During Wimbledon, TEE was 3118 kcal·d −1 : 60.3 kcal·kg −1 FFM: PAL 2.0 and during BO was 3368 kcal·day −1 : 65.1 kcal·kg −1 FFM: PAL 2.2. Mean daily activity was 124 mins and 132 mins, respectively. During training, TEE was 3177kcal·day-1: 61.4kcal·kg-1 FFM: PAL 2.0: mean daily activity was 138 mins. These findings show the TEE of an elite WT player captured during a period of training and high-level competition, alongside data outlining the physiological profile of a world-class para-athlete.
Tennis is a multidirectional high-intensity intermittent sport for male and female individuals played across multiple surfaces. Although several studies have attempted to characterise the physical demands of tennis, a meta-analysis is still lacking. We aimed to describe and synthesise the physical demands of tennis across the different court surfaces, performance levels and sexes. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to 19 April, 2022. A backward citation search was conducted for included articles using Scopus. The PECOS framework was used to formulate eligibility criteria. Population: tennis players of regional, national or international playing levels (juniors and adults). Exposure: singles match play. Comparison: sex (male/female), court surface (hard, clay, grass). Outcome: duration of play, on-court movement and stroke performance. Study design: cross-sectional, longitudinal. Pooled means or mean differences with 95 https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MDWFY ).
